Stories for July 2018

BMW and Hyundai Motor urged the U.S. not to impose tariffs on auto imports, joining General Motors Co. in pressing their case to the Commerce Department even as a top aide to President Donald Trump dismissed the concerns as “smoke and mirrors.”

President Donald Trump said over the weekend that he had received assurances from King Salman of Saudi Arabia that the kingdom will increase oil production, “maybe up to 2,000,000 barrels” in response to turmoil in Iran and Venezuela. Saudi Arabia acknowledged the call took place, but mentioned no production targets.

Canada began imposing tariffs Sunday on US$12.6 billion in U.S. goods as retaliation for the Trump administration's new taxes on steel and aluminum imported to the United States. Some U.S. products, mostly steel and iron, face 25% tariffs, the same penalty the United States slapped on imported steel at the end of May.

Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, who rallied voters with his battle cry against corruption and promises to the poor, won a resounding victory Sunday night in Mexico’s presidential election, after the concession of his two top rivals. The victory makes him the first left-oriented president since Mexico began its transition to democracy more than 30 years ago.

Brazil's Supreme Court (STF) Justice Edson Fachin has referred the appeal filed by the former president Lula da Silva's defense team to the full court. The ruling is expected for August, after the recess of the Brazilian judiciary.

European Union students at universities in England will continue to be treated the same as home students in the first intake after Brexit. UK Education Secretary Damian Hinds says EU students starting in autumn 2019 will pay the same tuition fees as English ones and their access to support will be unchanged.